One Night at Ryokan Onuma: A Private Outdoor Onsen in Naruko

On the way north for the Omagari Fireworks, we stopped for one night at Ryokan Onuma in Higashi-Naruko Onsen. I deliberately chose one of the simpler plans: a six-tatami room with a shared toilet, a lighter dinner, and access to the ryokan's many baths. The point of the stay was not the room. It was the onsen.

Choosing the simple plan on purpose

Ryokan stays can become surprisingly elaborate, and I often reach the end of dinner feeling much too full. This time we tried a plan built around a lighter ichiju-gosai meal — literally one soup and five dishes — while keeping the full onsen experience.

The room was a small six-tatami Japanese room and the toilet was shared. That kept the price down: ¥24,880 for two people with dinner and breakfast, plus ¥450 per person paid locally for the bathing and accommodation taxes. It was basic, but for a one-night stop it was enough.

A dinner that did not leave me defeated

I was slightly worried that the lighter dinner might feel too small, but it turned out to be exactly what I wanted. There was a gentle hot-pot style dish, several small sides and rice that could be refilled if needed. Nothing stood out as a single unforgettable dish; that was not really the point. It was a comfortable amount of food, and I finished dinner feeling satisfied rather than exhausted.

Earlier in the day we had bought snacks and Shine Muscat grapes at a roadside station, so later that night we could go back to the room and have dessert slowly. That small detail made the evening feel more relaxed than a large ryokan meal followed by nothing but recovery.

I tried all of the baths

Ryokan Onuma has eight bathing spaces in total, including its detached garden bath, and several can be used privately. I decided that if I was staying only one night, I might as well try all of them.

The largest is the mixed-gender Yakushi Sennin-buro, with women-only hours at certain times. There are also smaller private baths inside the ryokan. I liked having those options: even if a communal bath is not your thing, it is possible to enjoy the hot spring without worrying much about other guests.

To me, the water had a faint mineral, almost iron-like smell rather than a strong sulphur scent. It felt slightly slippery on the skin and was on the hotter side. The character of the water was noticeable, but not overpowering.

The reason I would come back: Mori no Yu

The best part of the stay was a few minutes away from the main building. Mori no Yu is a private outdoor bath in a wooded garden, reached by a short shuttle ride from the ryokan. Guests reserve a thirty-minute slot after checking in.

We chose 6:00–6:30 p.m., just before dinner. It was a very good time to go. The daylight was beginning to soften while the forest was still visible, and for those thirty minutes there was almost nothing to pay attention to except the water, the wind and the sound of insects.

There were quite a few mosquitoes, but mosquito coils had already been lit beside the bath. It was a small, practical touch, and somehow also part of the experience of bathing outside in summer.

A slow morning, then back on the road

The next morning we had breakfast, checked out, and spent a little time around Naruko Onsen before continuing toward Akita. There are several footbaths around the area; the one we tried was almost comically hot, so it became more of a brief test than a long soak.

Was it worth it?

For me, yes — especially at this price. The room was simple and the dinner intentionally modest, but that trade-off worked because the baths were the reason we had come. If you want a polished luxury ryokan with a private bathroom in your room, this particular plan is probably not the best fit. If you would rather keep the accommodation simple and spend your time trying different hot springs, it makes much more sense.

And if I stayed again, I would choose the private outdoor bath without hesitation. Thirty minutes in Mori no Yu was short, but it was the part of the night I remember most clearly.